WABCO to Expand Presence in Africa

Wabco, which specializes in technologies and services related to commercial vehicles has announced that it has acquired the balance 51 per cent share in its South African partnership with Sturrock and Robson Industries, Pty Ltd. This is part of Wabco’s drive to expand its presence in African, particularly in the sub-Saharan region.

Further to closing the deal on December 1, 2017, WABCO has plans to create a completely owned WABCO business called WABCO South Africa. As an outcome of this move, WABCO is planning to use its South African subsidiary to introduce its range of products, including its newly acquired product lines, to the Sub-Saharan region and will use WABCO South Africa’s distribution center near Johannesburg to cater better to its customers in the region. WABCO’s range of products includes highly advanced systems for braking, stability control, transmission automation, aerodynamics and advanced driver assistance.

In South Africa, Wabco has been engaged in a formal partnership with Sturrock and Robson from 1995, though the relationship between the two companies goes back almost 40 years. Through this collaboration, Wabco has emerged as one of the market leaders in the country’s commercial vehicle market and has developed a reputation for quality among local and international commercial vehicle OEMs region-wide.
Commenting on the expansion in Africa, Nick Rens, President Trailer, Aftermarket & Off Highway Division at WABCO said that the company’s customers in Africa include the region’s top five trailer manufacturers, a strong aftermarket network and a wide range of commercial vehicle OEMs. Wabco has several advantages in the African market including over 25 years of local experience, a strong leadership team and now a fully owned operation and will make an ideal fit for the big players in the market as they try to strengthen their own position in the Sub-Saharan markets.

He added, “The transition from a partnership to a wholly-owned operation in South Africa underpins our strategic plan to consolidate WABCO’s presence across the African continent and leverage the many opportunities in those markets. WABCO now serves the whole of Africa via wholly-owned operations, providing global resources and local expertise to both local and international customers, including fleet operators, enabling continued growth in the region.”

WABCO South Africa has its head office as well as a distribution, assembly and vehicle testing facility in Germiston, near Johannesburg and its management team will not have any changes. The company will be integrated into WABCO’s Trailer Systems, Off-Highway and Aftermarket Division.